LSU Baseball Report: LSU (18-11, 1-8) at Kentucky (19-7, 5-4)

LSU Baseball Report

For Immediate Release – April 8, 2021

LSU Fighting Tigers (18-11, 1-8) at Kentucky Wildcats (19-7, 5-4)

DATES/TIMES
·Friday, April 9 @ 5:30 p.m. CT
·Saturday, April 10 @ 1 p.m. CT
·Sunday, April 11 @ 12 p.m. CT

STADIUM
·Kentucky Proud Park in Lexington, Ky.

RADIO
·LSU Sports Radio Network affiliates
·Live audio at www.LSUsports.net/live; Live stats at www.LSUstats.com

TV/ONLINE
·Saturday’s game will be televised on the SEC Network
·All three games may be viewed on SEC Network +, accessible at Watch ESPN.com and the Watch ESPN app

SERIES RECORD VS. KENTUCKY
LSU leads the all-time series with Kentucky, 52-29-1, and the teams last met in 2019, when the Tigers swept three games from the Wildcats in Baton Rouge. This weekend’s series marks LSU’s first visit to Lexington since 2017, when UK won two of three games over the Tigers. LSU has won 12 of its last 18 SEC series with the Wildcats.

PITCHING MATCHUPS

Game 1
LSU – Jr. RH Landon Marceaux (2-3, 2.01 ERA, 40.1 IP, 11 BB, 47 SO)
UK – So. RH Cole Stupp (3-1, 1.91 ERA, 37.2 IP, 5 BB, 36 SO)

Game 2
LSU – Jr. RH AJ Labas (1-0, 3.26 ERA, 38.2 IP, 7 BB, 40 SO)
UK – Fr. RH Ryan Hagenow (1-1, 2.11 ERA, 21.1 IP, 11 BB, 25 SO)

Game 3
LSU – TBA
UK – So. RH Zack Lee (2-2, 4.18 ERA, 28.0 IP, 7 BB, 24 SO)

QUOTING PAUL MAINIERI
“We need to start getting some victories in the SEC, but we can’t look too far ahead, we have to take each game one at a time. We’re better when we do it that way, instead of looking too far down the road. Kentucky has an outstanding ball club, and they play with a lot of emotion and enthusiasm. They’re coming off a very impressive win against a Top 5 team in Louisville on Tuesday night. We’re looking forward to playing in their new ball park and facing the challenges Kentucky will present to us.”

ABOUT THE TIGERS
• Freshman rightfielder Dylan Crews is No. 3 in the SEC in base hits (41), No. 4 in total bases (72), No. 4 in runs scored (30), No. 6 in batting average (.366), No. 6 in on-base percentage (.474), No. 6 in walks (21), No. 8 in home runs (8) and No. 10 in slugging percentage (.643).
• Freshman right-hander Blake Money turned in two solid relief efforts last week, working a total of 6.2 innings and allowing three runs on five hits with one walk and six strikeouts … Money fired a career-high 4.2 innings last Friday versus Vanderbilt, limiting the Commodores to three runs on five hits with one walk and four strikeouts.
• Junior right-hander AJ Labas delivered a strong start for the Tigers in last Saturday’s game versus Vanderbilt, as he pitched 5.1 innings and allowed three runs on nine hits with one walk and seven strikeouts … Labas is No. 10 in the SEC in innings pitched this season with 38.2.
• Freshman first baseman Tre’ Morgan is No. 2 in the SEC in triples (3), No. 3 in runs scored (31), No. 5 in doubles (9), No. 6 in stolen bases (8) and No. 10 in on-base percentage (.449).
• Sophomore third baseman Cade Doughty is No. 3 in the SEC with nine home runs, and he is No. 3 in the league with 34 RBI ... junior leftfielder Gavin Dugas is No. 7 in the league in RBI with 31.
• Junior right-hander Landon Marceaux is No. 6 in the SEC in earned run average with a 2.01 ERA in 40.1 innings … Marceaux is limiting opponents to a .184 cumulative batting average, and he has 47 strikeouts, an average of 10.49 Ks per nine innings … Marceaux is No. 6 in the SEC in innings pitched (40.1), and he is No. 8 in opponent batting average (.184).
• Freshman right-hander Will Hellmers is third in the SEC in pitching wins with five … Hellmers is 5-1 this season with a 3.46 ERA and 29 strikeouts in 26 innings.
• LSU is tied with Arkansas at No. 2 in the nation in home runs with 47 on the year; Old Dominion leads the nation with 50 homers this season.

ABOUT THE WILDCATS
·Kentucky is No. 3 in the SEC in team batting average (.288); the Wildcats have 27 homers and 34 stolen bases in 38 attempts … UK’s pitching staff is No. 4 in the SEC with a 3.24 ERA … the Wildcats pitchers average 10.3 strikeouts per nine innings.
·Right-hander Cole Stupp is No. 5 in the SEC in individual ERA (1.91) … UK closer Sean Harney is third in the league in saves with five.
·Kentucky is led at the plate by first baseman T.J. Collett, who has four doubles, one triple, nine homers and 31 RBI … Collett is third in the SEC in homers and seventh in RBI … outfielder John Rhodes has a team-high nine doubles and is second on the club in homers (6) and RBI (20) … infielder/outfielder Austin Schultz has a team-high 36 hits.